Most employers these days recognize their duty not to retaliate against their employees for engaging in protected conduct, such as complaining about discrimination, filing a wage or workers’ compensation claim, or reporting a matter of public concern to the appropriate governmental body. Unfortunately, some of those same well-informed employers seem unable to resist the temptation to take a parting shot at their former employees after the employment relationship ends.
Yet this misconduct is no less harmful and no less unlawful. See Robinson v. Shell Oil Co., 519 U.S. 337 (1997). Employers should be aware that the end of the employment relationship does not spell the end to the law’s promise of protection from retaliation.
